Immigration has emerged as a top challenge for businesses that are relocating employees, according to a Cartus study released this week.

The 2018 Trends in Global Relocation: Biggest Challenges Survey Report, which includes input from 205 mobility managers from around the world, states that cost control remains the top concern, and tax compliance joins immigration in the top three. It is the sixth time Cartus has conducted the survey.

Cartus, part of Realogy Holdings Corp., is based in Danbury.

Immigration is new to the top three and 70 percent of respondents said it is a greater concern than last year. The reports showed that companies new to international mobility may not understand the complexity of immigration and do not have the resources in place to support it. The report also stated these companies are “developing a greater awareness of the consequences of noncompliance.”

Other concerns regarding immigration include visa wait times, visa application complexity, political events such as Brexit and travel bans, and mobility managers lacking an understanding of host country requirements.

The survey found that companies are addressing concerns about immigration by engaging in better communication with managers, providing more information to employees and adding immigration experts to their teams.

Cost control was the top concern among respondents by a large margin with 68 percent citing it as an issue. Only 44 percent, however, said it was a bigger concern than last year. While cost concerns are nothing new to the survey, two types of issues surfaced on this year’s report: new demands from employees and utilizing costly move types.

“Hiring managers who do not understand where relocation dollars are best spent often contribute to cost control issues,” the report reads.

Tax compliance has become a larger concern for businesses, the survey showed. The key issue comes from business managers who do not consider tax costs when planning moves and are later surprised how much cost taxes add. Relocation managers also said a lack of knowledge about a host country’s tax laws make it difficult to advise employees.

To address the issues, 58 percent of the respondents said their organizations are requiring the use of a company-designated tax return preparation service.

“When we consider the top three challenges above, it seems that the importance of informing and educating relocation decision makers is extremely important,” the report reads. “A lack of this influence causes cost increases and decreases efficiency.”